Tunnel or tunnel-part



Nov. 8, 1960 A. EGGINK ETAL 2,959,197

TUNNEL 0R TUNNEL-PART Filed Oct. 51. 1958 1o 5 ANTON EGGINK, HENRICUS c. a WENTINK and EIZE STAMHUIS INVENTORS Attorneys for Appli ants TUNNEL R TUNNEL-PART Anton Eggink and Henricus C. Wentink, Utrecht, and

Eize Stamhuis, Bilthoven Gemeente de Bilt, Netherlands, assignors to De Staat der Nederlanden, te dezen vertegenwoordigd door de Hoofdingenieur-Directeur van de Rijkswaterstaat in de Directie Sluizen en Stuwen, Utrecht, Netherlands Filed Oct. 31, 1958, Ser. No. 771,051

Claims priority, application Germany Apr. 30, 1957 4 Claims. Cl. 138-86) The invention relates to a tunnel or tunnel-part, substantially consisting of an inner wall and an outer wall, separated by means of a space in which a yielding medium is present. The inner wall is designed to resist the outside water-pressure and is therefore either water-tight in itself or its outer circumference is provided with a watertight layer. The outer wall is adapted to resist all outside loads and to take over the reaction of the inner wall.

The invention more especially relates to a connection between inner and outer wall. To this end force transmitting elements in the form of rigid dowels, which have room to move at least in their axial direction, have according to the invention been applied.

According to the invention the dowels preferably consist of two parts, of which the first part is immovably fixed to the inner wall,while the second part; which is immovably fixed to the outer wall, has room to move relative to the first part at least in its own axial direction.

According to the invention, if the inner wall consists of tube-shaped sections, it is advantageous for the second parts of the dowels to be arranged in annular stilfeners, which are arranged around the inner Wall, which annular stilfeners, in completing the tunnel or tunnelpart, are incorporated into the outer wall.

According to the invention the dowels preferably consist of a trunnion, which is fastened in the inner wall in a water-tight way, and of a case, which is fastened in the outer wall c.q. in a stiffener, whereby the trunnion is movable within the case at least in its axial direction.

The invention is further illustrated with the help of the following schematic drawings of an example of an embodiment according to the invention.

Fig. 1 shows in perspective a tunnel according to the invention which is being constructed;

Fig. 2 shows in perspective a section of part of the inner wall with a dowel and a stiffener;

Fig. 3 shows a cross section of a built-in dowel on a larger scale than that of Fig. 2.

As is evident from this embodiment of the invention, a tunnel has been built up of annular sections of reinforced concrete, which sections are preferably constructed as concrete shells which are placed one before the other in lengthways direction. These sections shells are connected to form a loose tube 2, by means of water-tight elastic connections 3. The sections are provided with a continuous yielding layer 4, consisting of asphalt or asphalt-immersed materials. In case the sections themselves or their connections shsould not be entirely watertight, the said layer is, so that the outside water-pressure is entirely resisted by the walls of the tube 2.

Each section is provided with a number of conical apertures 5 with metal liners 6, which are distributed evenly over its circumference. In each of these liners 6 a first dowel-part 7 is provided, which is fitted with a flange 8, with a cup 9, which fits into the conical liners 6, and which has at its end a screw-thread 10. With the aid of a screw nut 11 the flange 8 is drawn against the United States Patent 0 2,959,197 Patented Nov. 8, 1960 asphalt layer 4 and the dowel-part 7 is held fast in the section shell 1.

A cylindrical hollow trunnion 12 of dowle-part 7 protrudes radially from the encircling flange, and is surrounded by a metal case 13, which forms the complementary second part of the dowel and is anchored in the concrete of an annular stiffener 14. The hollow trunnion 12 is movable in the case 13 in the axial direction of the dowel. In order to keep the bearing plane of trunnion and case watertight, the flange 15 of the case is connected with the asphalt layer 4, whereby the plasticity of the latter material still allows the case 13 room to move relative to the trunnion 12.

Already during the process of their preferably industrial prefabrication, the sections 1 are provided with the coating 4 and with the complete dowels, which are evenly distributed over their circumferences. Around each section shell at least one annular stiffener 14 is now cast, whereby the case 13 is anchored in the concrete of said stiffener. Adherence of the concrete of the stiffener to the section is avoided by the intervening yielding asphalt can be attached, as is shown in Fig. 1, to the right.

A one-sided force-transmitting connecttion between section and stiffener being established by the dowels, only tangential stresses can be transmitted. This connection does not in the least upset the division of tension in the shell-shaped sections, as because of the movability in radial direction relative to the sections, as provided, no disturbances can occur in this direction. Both parts can swell and shrink independently of each other, which fact plays a considerable part in the hardening process, the loading of the concrete, and in changes of temperature.

As soon as a tunnel-part with one or more stifieners 14 has been erected, the water-tight connection 3 between the sections 1 is established and the outer shell 16 for the outer wall 17 is placed. This outer wall 17 can be provided with a lengthwise' armouring 18, which is stuck into the stiffeners 14 for example through apertu-res. and takes over the reaction of the inner wall, but it is necessarily not watertight. Because between the outer wall 17 and the tube 2 the yielding layer 4 has been provided, and because the sections 1 are connected elastically, differences caused by settlements can occur without causing trouble.

To overcome the effects of shrinkage, the side-walls 19 of the stiffeners are put at oblique angles to one another and are provided with teeth 20. In this way, in case of shrinkage of the outer wall 17, the connection with the stiifener 14 in tangential and also in axial direction, is guaranteed.

The continuous reinforcement bars of the lengthwise armouring, if present, are subject to deformation, but by the teeth 20 which are placed radially, the forces are taken over by the stiifeners 14, which in this manner after all form a whole with the prefabricated outer wall 17.

By this tunnel construction a double casing is obtained, whereby direct force-transmitting connection between inner and outer wall occurs locally only, i.e. near the dowels. In this process the inner case can act as a thin water-tight tube, being hung in a non-water-tight brace which keeps the tube in place.

It is self-evident that the dowels have been given a degree of freedom in the radial direction but also can have one in the axial direction of the tunnel. This is especially significant in sections with a plurality of stiffeners, where serious differences caused by shrinking or settlements in axial direction can occur. In this case the case 13 will therefore not fit exactly around the trunnion This outer wall 17 resists all the outside forces' low of their appropriate operation as regards strength and abili y- It is self-evident, that the shapes of dowels and of inner and Outer walls which have been dealt with and have. been shown, are Only meant as examples within the scope of the invention, and that especially a tunnel construction with stifieners of metalor with dowels, which havefreedom to move either in the inner wall or in the outer wall, or even in both outer and inner walls, also belong to the invention.

We claim:

1. Pipe comprising a first tubular member having a series of. recesses in the interior wall thereof and spaced circumferentially along the wall, a second-tubular member disposed coaxially in the first tubular member and having a series of holes circumferentially spaced in the wall thereof, the series of holes being in register with the aforementioned series of recesses, the first and second tubular members being separated by an annular space, a pin mounted in water-tight engagement, in each hole and extending radially into and in sliding engagement with the corresponding recess, and resilient material filling said space, whereby relative radial movement between the first and second tubular members can occur.

2. Pipe according to claim 1 further comprising a cup-shaped member rigidly mounted in each said recess, the pin extending into such recess being in sliding engagement with the inside of the cup-shaped member.

3. Pipe according to claim 2 wherein said pin and said cup-shaped member have opposingly disposed flanges,

the flange on said pin engaging the outside rim ofthe hole in which the pin is mounted and the flange of the cup-shaped member engaging the rim of the recess in which it is mounted. a a

4. Pipe comprising a plurality of sections, each of which comprises afstiffening ring having aseries of recesses in the interior wall thereof and spaced circumferentially along the wall, an elongated tubular member disposed co-axially in the stiflening ring and having a series of holes circumferentially spaced in the wall thereof, the series ofholes being in register with the aforementioned series of recesses the stiffening ring and the elongated tubular member being separated by an annular space, a pin mounted in water tight engagement in each said hole and extending radially into and in sliding engagement with the corresponding recess, and resilient material filling said space, said elongated tubular members of said plurality of sections being joined in axially succession with flexible joints and the stiffening rings of said plurality of sections being spaced apart, and said pipe further comprising reinforcing bars connecting the stiffening ringsand tubular sections formed in the annular spaces between rings and in which said reinforcing' bars are embedded.

References Cited in the, fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Currie Dec. l, 1931 Fischer Feb. 27, 1945 293,951 Great Britain July 19, 1928 

